That Girl
by KaseiC
Summary: ByakuHi fic. OCs, Attempted humor but not much. Heavy story and actually very little ByakuHi-ness, because fate alone just doesn't cut it sometimes.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Shitsuji literally means Butler. I wasn't feeling particularly creative, haha. Standard disclaimers apply.

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That girl. She sends different vibes than all the other girls.

Let's see. She doesn't stand out, not physically, standing among the all _very_ pleasant new girls. It pains me to have to tell them to turn their smiles down a notch – make that three – to keep with the air of the Kuchiki house. Eyes downcast (check), head bowed (check), all properly humble (uh, check). Her turn to speak now – "Hisana." – voice, plain. Uniform, nothing special (well, it _is_ mass-produced for the purpose of _having_ nothing special). Just another mediocre girl?

I should think not. Children, women, servants, criminals, they're not to be taken lightly of, especially in Seireitei. Take me, for example!! Shitsuji of the Kuchiki house. Second-in-command to none other than the great ice cube himself. Sigh. See, my oba-han (A/N: referring to his mother; kansai-ben) nursed him when he was little, so like, he's like a little brother to me, right? WRONG. No appreciation at all! When oba-han died? Not a word, not a peep! All my oba-han's love, wasted! That bastard!

There he is. I feel his reiatsu nearing. Gotta get this over & done with.

"Makie-kun. Hisana-kun."

"Hai."

"Switch places."

"Hai."

Mm. Need more coverage on the left. "Haru-kun, stand beside Makie-kun. _Other _side." Dumbass.

That Hisana girl doesn't look up, not even once. I tell ya, she's too reserved for her own good. On one thought I could have some senior girls beat her around a bit, but on another…let's not. _That girl has to go. ASAP._

The other girls – those that fidget in the fabric of their uniforms, that dart their eyes around the Sakura trees and the glitter in the pond, that are flushed with nervousness and excitement and the spirit pressure all around – they get second chances. In fact, little mistakes don't even get _to_ me. _Just not that Hisana._

Oh, but it'll be easy. One mistake, which I will personally make sure it happens, and out she goes. Shitsuji of the Kuchiki house was known for his strictness, after all. Mwahahaha.

When Byakuya slowed to an eventual _stop_ in the _rouka_ (A/N: roofed corridor), I knew there was no helping the deep shit coming my way. My Lord Byakuya-sama, I know the girls have their heads bowed still, but mine isn't anymore and surely you could master more _discreetness_ than that? You're, like, staring. Sigh.

"At ease. Say your names again, _and where you're from_." Hah, your death glares hadn't worked on me for the past 500 years, bro. "You may start, Sawa-kun."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm not Japanese, so take the language and the customs described in these fics with a grain of salt. Standard disclaimers apply.

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In a house of status, maid servants are bought from established _chuukai_ houses (A/N: sort of like an agency) that traffic and train girls from the Rukongai; senior girls are hand-picked by the _shitsuji_ and the mistress; and the _shitsuji_ themselves, they are _bred_. The _shitsuji_ of a royal house knows all that there is to know about anything and everything that may or may not come to pass, sometimes (make that most of the time) even more than a young master. It can't be helped, really. It's OK for a master to break the rules once in a while. Not so, unfortunately, for a good old _shitsuji_.

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm rather fond of the system, actually. When you spend a couple hundred years watching the back of your _shitsuji_ of a father, and another couple hundred being one yourself, the loopholes _become_ you. Besides, _someone_ has to be optimistic about all this crap. And if you expect Byakuya to, then you can shoot me.

I digress, of course. It is now – let's see – about a month since I was demanded to "keep that girl close by," I kid you not. Dare I say who made the demand? Must I say _which _girl? Right. So then, on with the story.

The odd pair of Princess and servant of the Shihouin House just arrived by air, and what remains of the God-knows-what is debating whether to keep burning or to drown instead (its owner has promptly kicked it into the pond upon_ not_ landing with the winged rice bowl), the poor soul.

We (that is, Hisana and I – sigh.) turn around a corner and catch sight of Rinka, carrying a tray of tea cups and snacks.

"Rinka-kun. Do we have guests?" As in _real_ guests? Someone should remind Byakuya that tea rooms _don't_ exist solely for old farts from the Branch Houses. There's Kaien occasionally, I guess, whose visits are always great fun, because no doubt his sister would be trailing him. I've never been to the Shiba or Shihouin training grounds, but I imagine that they look _exactly_ like our garden. What poor design.

"Yes; Yoruichi-dono is with Byakuya-sama right now."

"Ara, is Yoruichi-ojou-sama _having tea_ with Byakuya-sama?" Are you trying to tell me that giant rice bowls have _always_ grown wings and flew?

Rinka has served in the House since before I took over from my father; long enough to see the absurdity. She smiles a cute smile. "It appears so."

So that's why she's bringing tea, a senior girl like her. It _would_ be interesting to see Byakuya's face right now. It's too bad she won't get to see it.

"Hisana-kun, I want you to bring the tea instead. Rinka-kun, get a palanquin ready for Yoruichi-ojou-sama." This is going to be easier than I thought.

The girls exchange the tray obediently; if Rinka is surprised, she doesn't let it show. Rinka is like one of those sweet chickadee things that never grow out of the first image of their "mama", be it my father, her position in the House, or flying rice bowls. Quite a troublesome naïveté, I'm afraid, but predictable enough to be of use. She is a servant, and servants are to follow orders; therefore she does not question my placement of _palanquin_ and _Shihouin_ in the same sentence. Nor, for that matter, my ordering of a newcomer to bring tea for a respected guest. She knows better.

-----

The Shihouin Princess is ready to leave in no time at all; she walks towards the waiting palanquin holding, all dear and friendly, the hand of a pink-cheeked and slightly– amused?– Hisana. From the maniacal giggle of her reiatsu (I don't know how else you'd put it) and the flare of Byakuya's, I know my little maneuver was picked up and that tonight is going to be one _hell_ of a tough night to get through.

Before entering the palanquin Yoruichi glanced at me and smiled her wicked smile.

"So, Byakuya's _shitsuji_-san, eh? No worse, yet no _better_ than what they say."

I bow and see to her leave. Soi Fong and Hisana follow closely behind her palanquin. Right back at ya, Yoruichi, who won't for the life of her pass on _any_ opportunity to tease Byakuya. You'd think she's in love with him or something.

Oh shit, I forgot to ask her. I do hope she plans to retrieve her vehicle some time in the near future; at this rate our pond will be leveled with her garbage.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: _Okane_ is the female owner of an establishment, in this case the _chuukai_ house that traffic girl-servants. Standard disclaimers apply.

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"Okane-san. I apologize for disrupting your busy schedule and thank you for coming in such short notice."

"I am most humbled."

We sit in _seiza _(A/N: proper sitting), this beldame of the _Chuukai_ and I, following ritualistic etiquette and speaking in careful undertones. Like this:

"I'll be frank, Okane-san." Translation: I'll be anything _but _frank. "It appears that the papers of the latest batch of girls were not transferred in its entirety." Translation: I don't give a damn about the papers, but I need something from you and you're not getting outta here until you nod consent.

"Is that so?"

Of course that is not _so_, dammit. "Yes." This is annoying.

"For _all_ the girls?"

I calculate. This _belle dame sans merci_ is reputably competent, but I can't afford to take chances. "_All_ of them. It may be that Rinka-kun failed to pick up the compilation of the entire thread." God knows how she organizes the papers, or if she organizes them at all, but now the ball's on her side.

"Oh? Which thread?" The old woman finally seems a little more attentive.

"_Familial relations_, ma'am."

She ponders that. I can see her itching for her opium pipe, and you bet your ass I want to get outta here as much as she does. A moment ago I pondered the existence of pins and needles on the _tatami_; by now I'm questioning the existence of my own legs.

"I will see to that," she declares, still unmoved. After a correct length of silence she starts again, casually: "I hear that Hisana was picked up by the Royal Shihouin Princess?"

I smile silently. The beldame is sharp; no wonder she's still in business. "Yes. She caught the eye of Shihouin-dono on their first meeting."

The old _Okami_ flares her nostrils in amusement, but keeps quiet on her thoughts. Much of the information pertaining to Shihouin Yoruichi is classified to those outside the Gotei 13, and neither of us is one to pull our own legs.

"Lucky girl, isn't she?" she sets down her tea cup. "The papers will take some time to prepare again, I do sincerely apologize. Please expect it in 3 days."

"I understand." It's no easy feat, after all. In three days her House, and the entire Rukongai if she could help it, is to remember _nothing_ of Hisana.

The old woman nods. "I will send it over with a girl to replace Rinka."

I raise my eyebrows at that, and she gives me a faint flicker of _reiatsu_. She really _is_ sharp, the old fox; the intricate undercurrents and subtle power struggles within a Royal House is like an open book to her. "I need a replacement for _Hisana_," I toss out my objection nonetheless. Rinka can't exactly leave the grounds, anyhow, she knows that.

Okami-san smiled a smile that exposed great gums. "As you see fit, Shitsuji-san," and with that she left the Kuchiki grounds with her escorts.


	4. Chapter 4

Standard disclaimers apply.

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Let me let you in on something. No, wait for it…wait for it…wait for it…_now_.

People tend to become dumb when love strikes them. (Not that Byakuya would admit to either; being dumb _or_ being in love.) And that's why my life's miserable at the moment. Miserable, miserable, miserable indeed. Sometimes I wonder if the dumbass really is worth all the trouble. Honestly.

Do not question my loyalty to Byakuya, unless you want my foot up your ass. Yeah, Byakuya had ordered that I "keep the girl close", except loyalty ain't just about following orders like God himself personally pissed every word. Besides, how exactly do you keep a servant _close_? This is a _royal_ House, where the House appears to run _itself,_ the servants near invisible. The best I could do was get her to follow me around, and damned is me if Byakuya hadn't bumped casually into us every couple of days, during the month of her stay, with one petty errand or another to send me off in a different direction. In the depths of night when the girl doses off with his _haori_ on her back he can't even keep his hands to himself, dazed as he is. Fool needs to cool his head a bit, and Hisana, the girl _desperately_ needs a foothold in the higher society.

Not that I give a damn, really. Time's changed, man – the _higher society_ isn't what it used to be anymore. Sacred rites and observances have long been abandoned (the Shiba Clan now makes fireworks solely for play), the Shihouin command has dissipated since the establishment of the Gotei 13, and the privilege of education has been extended to every other brat out there. Nevertheless, the Kuchiki Clan, the observers of law, refuses to let go. Byakuya's attitude can be tricky, especially since (as I mentioned) he's dumbed down with Hisana; but useless Branch House geezers that think otherwise will not let her sit pretty, _whatever_ Byakuya decides to make of her. Life just sucks this way.

So there you have it, why I sent Hisana away. People "from the Shihouin House" are respected almost _en masse_, mostly because if you don't, chances are you'll get your ass handed back to you one way or another. And even if she can't do that, it'd still be good for her to pick up some _reiatsu_ with one weird toy of Yoruichi's or another. Byakuya's been holding back, but one of these days he won't be able to, and that's exactly when he'll really need her. How many birds is that with one stone? I lost count. _This_, matey, is _loyalty_. I am _so_ much better than you.

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In three days the papers are received, as expected. Okane-san also sent an oral message – "I apologize once again for the incompleteness of the previous reports" – and as if to compensate, every single file this time are at least 10 pages long, describing in gruesome detail the girls' entry into the Rukongai, the _Chuukai_, the Kuchiki House, and _everything_ in between. As such the file concerning Hisana truly is unremarkable. She had abandoned a dependent sister; a smart choice, and one all too common in the Upper Rukongai districts. The sister is miraculously, but inconveniently, alive. An unnumbered page outlines this Rukia's life thus far; the page has subsequently been burned without a trace.

In the House – Yoruichi hasn't yet bothered to retrieve her object-of-flight, so the charred stranger maintains sitting in the middle of the pond, clashing with everything else around it. The servants, myself included, are not to remove gifts (lol gifts) from a royal Princess, and our stuck-up Lord outright refuses to acknowledge its existence. Or mine, so it seems, ever since Hisana left the House. You won't see a trace of it from his face, but Byakuya can get into a stubborn grumpiness that's almost childish sometimes. It's kind of cute, actually. Reminds me of the olden days, when oba-han was still live and kicking, when I still spoke in kansai-ban. Ahhhhh well. Such is life, yes? Nobody said you can live it easy.

Nobody said you can live it clean.


End file.
